“The head of EU diplomacy: it makes no sense to push Zelensky to talk when Putin does not want to talk. Callas emphasized that supporting Ukraine is now cheaper than the consequences of a possible Russian victory.”, — write on: unn.ua
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Callas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said it was pointless for Zelenskyi to consider peace talks when Russian dictator Vladimir Putin showed no desire to stop the war.
Callas made the announcement ahead of a summit of EU leaders on Thursday, which will discuss how Europe can adapt its support for Kyiv after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the newspaper said.
“It makes no sense to push Zelensky to talk when Putin doesn’t want to talk,” Callas told the FT. “We can’t talk about peacekeepers when there’s no peace. And why is there no peace? Because Russia doesn’t want peace.”
“It’s much cheaper to support Ukraine now than to endure the war later. Russia hasn’t changed its goals,” Kallas said. “I mean, we have to be very honest with ourselves about this. What are we actually doing now?”
On Wednesday evening, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held talks with Zelenskyi and a small group of senior EU officials, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Maloney and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to discuss potential options for future European support for Ukraine.
Speaking before the meeting, Rutte said that talks about a peace deal had only helped Putin. “If we now start discussing among ourselves what a peace agreement might look like, we will simplify the task for the Russians,” he said.
“I think it would be very wise to put a bit of a ban on it and focus on current affairs … making sure that Ukraine has everything it needs to prevent Putin from winning,” he said.
Zelensky is meeting with 27 EU leaders on Thursday for additional talks.
EU leaders are set to agree a statement on Thursday, pledging to support Ukraine “as much as needed and as intensively as needed. Russia must not gain the upper hand”, according to a draft agreed by their negotiators seen by the FT.
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But EU leaders reportedly remain divided over what they can give Kyiv and what long-term commitments of support they want to offer, including whether to deploy troops, provide long-range weapons or support the country’s membership ambitions in NATO.
“The main question is, what is the guarantee of security? . . . What is it really that is tangible?” Kallas said. ”
“All member states [ЄС]who signed agreements on security guarantees with Ukraine, must answer: what is this? – she added. “I mean, really, what are they willing to put on the table so that these security guarantees aren’t empty?”
French President Emmanuel Macron first put forward the idea of deploying European troops in Ukraine in February. The concept has been discussed by some officials since Trump’s election in the context of a potential peacekeeping force to enforce the ceasefire agreement.
But Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at a press conference with Macron last week categorically rejected any “speculation” about European troops in Ukraine. The idea is also strongly rejected by other key capitals such as Berlin.
“No preparation [військ] no, said one EU diplomat. “There is still no structured discussion on this matter in the EU.”
“We should not underestimate our own power and overestimate Russia’s power,” Kallas said. “We should do everything to strengthen Ukraine right now, because the stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they are at the negotiating table – if they come to that.” .
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